Build Check / Questions

[Zenaur]

So first off I really don't know what I'm doing when it comes to building a computer so this is all guess work and I would really appreciate any help you can offer. This is what I have come up from a bit of research by molding a few other build guides into one. I willing to spend a few hundred more if it is really going to be a lot better of a machine and will last that much longer.

the other question I had is that I have had multiple people telling me to go with an AMD card and that most pople follow intel for brand loyalty and I can get a lot more bang for my buck running an 8 core AMD for cheaper. Is this something I should look into?
ex: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113285

And that since the new consoles will be running 8 cores developers are going to start utilizing all the cores where as previously they were not. anywho... below are a few builds i cooked up. Please make any changes or recommendations as you see fit.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.33 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($409.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($24.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($82.75 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($21.48 @ Newegg)
Total: $1307.48
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-22 21:47 EDT-0400)


PS how does this compare to the build of the month?
http://www.mmo-champion.com/content/...nth-News-Recap

[Fluorescent0]

You don't really need a 750W PSU unless you're planning to go SLI at some point, on that budget I'd recommend a modular PSU such as the seasonic 620W one.
Using a black for storage only is kinda pointless, but if you're going to run applications from there quite often because not all your usual ones can fit in the SSD it's fine, otherwise go for a Caviar Blue.
While case is really personal preference, if I were you I'd look into the Corsair Carbide 500R, currently on a great sale on newegg.
Finally, I'd rather get a gigabyte/MSI 770 instead of an EVGA one.

[slasher0161]

Few points but I will start by saying it isn't a bad looking build.

First point about the AMD, they are a good unit and that will be utterly disputed by most but it has been shown by a few that the fx 8350 is a good unit (logan @ tecsyndicate tested it and linus sebastian), however they are currently quite hard to recommend not from a brand loyalty perspective (my loyalty is wherever I find the best bang for my buck that fits my needs) but due to the lower power consumption and higher thermal limits on intel chips (I personally wouldn't be able to run an AMD fx 8350 in my rig during the summer with an overclock without a custom loop due to the high ambient temperatures).

However having said that, if you find you do 3d work, video rendering, ect. on a fairly regular basis but don't want to spend the money on an i7 then the fx8350 is a good option (also if you stream, it has been shown against an i7-3770k and i7-3820 to perform better in streaming [don't shoot the messenger]). If you don't game as much and want the lower power consumption, the better feature set of z87 and the higher thermal limit then you will be going intel.

Some other little things to note, unless your adding a second gpu that psu is overkill, its not a bad thing just if you wish to shave a few bucks off then you can drop it down to a 500w.
The secondary drive also doesn't need to be a WD black unless you want the extra warranty (that call is entirely up to you but as a secondary drive you won't notice any difference over a WD blue).
Not sure what the stock fan on the h80i is like but I know a few people at first weren't overly impressed with the h100i stock fans so might need to change it (corsair sp120 if you care about looks if not Noctua NF-F12 will give the best performance but aren't the best aesthetically, i've also heard gentle typhoon isn't bad).

- - - Updated - - -

<snip>
While case is really personal preference, if I were you I'd look into the Corsair Carbide 500R, currently on a great sale on newegg.
Finally, I'd rather get a gigabyte/MSI 770 instead of an EVGA one.

On the topic of case the R4 is a great little case so not sure why you would change that.

However on the topic of the 770 I don't know why you would want to give up the best warranty around. Just my thoughts (EVGA also means he has warranty if he decides to watercool it, nobody else offers that).

[Fluorescent0]

However on the topic of the 770 I don't know why you would want to give up the best warranty around. Just my thoughts (EVGA also means he has warranty if he decides to watercool it, nobody else offers that).

I doubt someonewho says he has no idea on what he's doing would build a custom loop to watercool his graphics card. Gigabyte and MSI coolers are both better and produce less noise.

[Zenaur]

thanks for the quick response.

Processor: okay, thanks for the detailed explanation. I had just heard it was a good way to save $100+ but I agree with you on the ambient temperature concerns and while I might find myself doing GIS and 3D modeling for work the vast majority of my use will be for games and the internet so I just wanted to make sure that this is a rig that will last me for a while and be able to handle the games i need to. Ill stick with the Intel.

Storage: Is the difference between blue and black that noticeable? Basically everywhere I looked recomended the black so I assumed that it was worth the extra $20. Kind of going along the same lines, I was hoping that I would be able to run windows and 4-5 of the most commonly used games on the SSD. With most of the other programs (chrome/skype/ms office/autocad) on the hardrive should i consider a larger ssd? would it be worth the money or should i be spent elsewhere?


Here is the updated build Anything else note worthy? If not thanks a ton!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($70.33 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N15 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($24.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $1246.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-22 23:07 EDT-0400)


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edit: will adding additional memory or anything else for future upgrades put me over the PSU capacity? or should i not really worry about it. (the current setup sits just under 500w)

[Fluorescent0]

It really is down to you and how responsive you'd like those applications to be. Loading times are greatly diminished by being on a SSD, if that's worth it to you it's down to your choice.
I'm really not a fan of corsair PSUs however, and that one isn't on the list of recommended power supplies. I'd really switch to a 550 XFX, or any in that list. On your budget I'd really consider going for a modular power supply as well, it'll tidy up things a lot.

[Zenaur]

sounds good to me. I dont know the difference between any of them so I'll take your word on it. The "XFX P1-550S-XXB9" on the list isnt modular either. If you have a particular recommendation can you provide a link or something more specific? I'm not looking for anything in particular just thought to oversize it a bit in case I wanted to add on later. Although I dont know how easy that will be and how much additional power will be required so Ill take any suggestion.

thanks!

[Fluorescent0]

Unless you're planning to go SLI in the future you don't need something with high wattage to futureproof, as technology progresses usually power consumptions go down, not up.
A quality modular PSU is this Rosewill hive 550W.

If you plan on going SLI a 750W power supply would be recommended.

[Zenaur]

Awesome. looks like I'm ready then. thank you again for all your help. have a great evening

[Fluorescent0]

Oh, just one last thing. I see you have changed your CPU cooler to a Noctua NH-D14. I suggest you to check your RAM isn't too high (42mm is the maximum if I'm not mistaken) or to just buy some low profile RAM instead such as 2x Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB.

[Zenaur]

I'm sorry to bother you again but i have absolutely no idea how to check on that. I would much rather just replace either the cooler or the RAM to facilitate the other depending on whichever is easiest, rather than adding more parts. Sorry, I'm just getting really confused now. Any chance you wouldn't mind one more round of telling me which of those I need to replace and to what specifically?

[Fluorescent0]

Replace the RAM you posted with the one I linked and you're good to go.

[Zenaur]

oh, like spatially too high. I got confused thinking that something in the computer made it not be able to function properly and that i needed to add those in the other two bays. awesome thanks!